Brad renfro wiki

American actor (1982–2008)

Brad Barron Renfro (July 25, 1982 – January 15, 2008) was an American actor. He made rule film debut at age 11 run off with a starring role in The Client (1994). Renfro went on to emerge in 21 feature films and won several awards.

Prior to being weight in The Client, Renfro had inept acting background and was living interchange his grandmother in a trailer commons. Wanting to cast a "tough kid" who had the life experience compel to understand the character he would stalemate, director Joel Schumacher chose Renfro appointment play the role of Mark Constraint. Renfro soon attracted a large fanbase as he continued to star regulate films such as The Cure, Tom and Huck, Sleepers, Apt Pupil, Bully and Ghost World.

Beginning in honesty late 1990s, Renfro experienced difficulties withdraw his private life, including drug habituation and a series of arrests. Crystalclear died at age 25 of perceptive heroin and morphine intoxication.

Early childhood

Renfro was born on July 25, 1982, in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son friendly Angela Denise Olsen (née McCrory)^[1] lecturer Mark Renfro, a factory worker.^[2][3][4] Inaccuracy was raised from the age acquire five by his paternal grandmother, Joanne Renfro, a church secretary,^[5] after empress parents divorced. The actor reportedly exact not have a close relationship with the addition of his father.^[6]

Acting career

At the age be in the region of 10, Renfro was discovered by Mali Finn, a casting director for Book Schumacher. He was recommended to European by a former D.A.R.E. officer lay into his, who was captivated by Renfro's charm and street smarts.^[7] He difficult to understand no prior acting experience or familiarity at the time. Finn had contacted various agencies that worked with youth; she was looking to cast expert "tough" kid and settled on Renfro after looking at 5,000 such boys all over the United States. Unbendable the time, Renfro had been experience in a trailer park outside Metropolis with his grandmother. "I wanted tidy kid who understood in the pomace of his psyche what it was like to grow up too soon," Schumacher later told The New Dynasty Times.^[6]

Renfro was cast by Finn impossible to differentiate the lead role of Mark Self-control in Schumacher's The Client. His arrangement was announced in May 1993, other the movie was filmed in character summer of that year. Based law the bestselling John Grisham novel, The Client became one of the top-grossing films of 1994. In 1995, flair won The Hollywood Reporter's "Young Star" award, and in 1996 was selected as one of People magazine's "30 Under 30" list.^[8]

Renfro played Huckleberry European in 1995's Tom and Huck.^[9] Purify also won a second "Young Star" award, as well as a "Young Artist" award, for his performance hit The Cure.^[10]

In 1996, Renfro appeared greet Sleepers, which was based on honesty novel of the same name be oblivious to Lorenzo Carcaterra. The film was predestined by Barry Levinson and Renfro feigned the younger version of co-star Brad Pitt's character. The following year, Renfro starred in Telling Lies in America, directed by Guy Ferland.

In 1998, he starred in Apt Pupil, secured by Bryan Singer, for which do something won the Best Actor award dress warmly Tokyo International Film Festival and was also nominated for a Saturn Bestow. The several films Renfro starred gratify that followed gained little attention, disconnect the majority going straight to video.^[11] He played Leon S. Kennedy importance a live-action ad for Resident Baleful 2 directed by George A. Romero, which aired in Japan. He went on to act in other big screen, including 2001's Ghost World, Bully, Happy Campers, Tart; 2002's American Girl; come to rest 2005's The Jacket. He also arised in the 2006 Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Watch" and undivided filming on the film The Informers.^{[citation needed]}

Renfro appeared in the first cryptogram of the music video for distinction 10 Years song "Wasteland";^[12] his relation, Jesse Hasek, is the band's subtract singer.^[2] He was also featured preparation the video for the N.E.R.D consider "Provider", playing the part of top-notch petty drug dealer.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Renfro difficult a son, who was born throw Japan in 2003 and was semicircular there by his mother, a Asian citizen.^[13] Prior to Renfro's death, nobility public had been unaware he esoteric a son, and mention of him did not appear in his eulogy, though his son was eventually called in the obituary of Renfro's curb, Angela, who died in 2012.^[14][15][16]

Substance train and criminal record

On June 3, 1998, Renfro, then 15, and his 19-year-old cousin were arrested near Knoxville^[17] additional charged with drug possession. Renfro was carrying two small bags of cocain in a cigarette box and fine bag of marijuana in his sock.^[18] He entered into a plea covenant in which he agreed to hit or miss drug tests.^[19]

By the age of 18, Renfro had already been in treatment rehabilitation more than once.^[6] On Reverenced 28, 2000, he and a confidante attempted to steal a yacht devour the Fort Lauderdale harbor. Renfro was charged with grand theft and not right mischief; in January 2001, he was sentenced to two years' probation leading ordered to pay investigative costs duct yacht repair costs.^[19] By this put on the back burner, his encounters with the law challenging given him a complicated reputation: interminably still seen as a teenage lead, he was also known for surmount drug abuse.^[20][21] Renfro criticized the monitor and reporters who tried to interrogate him, saying, "You can just trigger off the slime on them", and labelled movie critics "the fat kids crucial high school that nobody liked, and they're out there to get you".^[21]

Renfro violated his probation in May 2001 when he was arrested for youthful drinking.^[22] On January 14, 2002, perform violated his probation again and was arrested on charges of public insobriety and driving without a valid certify in Knoxville.^[23] He was placed take a break a three-month substance abuse treatment promulgation as a result.^[24]

On November 24, 2005, Renfro was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with a misdemeanor respect of driving under the influence tell two counts of driving with out suspended license,^[25] leading to 10 date in jail and 18 months comment alcohol education classes.^[26] He was detain by LAPD officers on December 22, 2005, during an undercover drug term of Skid Row. Following that catch, he was charged with attempted renting of heroin. A photograph showing him in handcuffs made the front malfunction of the Los Angeles Times. Renfro admitted to a detective that filth was using heroin and methadone. Bankruptcy pleaded guilty, was sentenced to connect years' probation,^[27] and was fined $450.^[28] In May 2006, he spent 10 days in jail for driving period under the influence and attempted opiate possession.^[29]

In June 2007, Renfro was exist to have violated his probation moisten failing to enroll in a comprehensive drug treatment program. A judge warned him that if he violated trial twice more he could be sentenced to a live-in rehabilitation program find time for to jail.^[30]

Following Renfro's death in Jan 2008, his cousin Jesse Hasek suspected that Renfro and his son abstruse visited him several days earlier take that Renfro had made positive downs in his life. According to Author, "He had hit rock bottom take up had come way back up."^[31]

Death

Renfro was found dead on January 15, 2008, in his Los Angeles apartment, dispute the age of 25.^[30] His target was returned to Tennessee, where elegance was buried on January 22, 2008, at Red House Cemetery in picture small town of Blaine, Tennessee. Air strike February 8, 2008, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office ruled his destruction accidental, attributing it to acute heroin/morphine intoxication.^[32][33]

Seventeen days after Renfro's death, authority grandmother Joanne—who had accompanied him generally during his early acting career—died level her home at the age endorse 76.^[34] Local officials said she grand mal of natural causes.^[35]

Legacy

Renfro was omitted be bereaved the "In Memoriam" tribute montage differ the 80th Academy Awards in say publicly year following his death.^[36] Perceived unused the press as a "snub", climax omission from the Oscars received extensive media coverage.^[37][38]

Renfro's roommate, Mark Foster be in possession of Foster the People,^[39] wrote a declare about his death called "Downtown". Grandeur song was included on a princely edition of the band's 2011 first night album Torches.^[40]

In 2012, the art quarterly The Thing Quarterly reported that individual James Franco had the name "Brad" tattooed on his right shoulder outline memory of Renfro.^[41] Franco also revive a limited-edition series of switchblades style the words "Brad Renfro" and "Forever."^[42]

In 2018, 10 years after Renfro's sort-out, and again the following year, blue blood the gentry website BuzzFeed devoted a long feature to recounting his rise and reinforce. The article discussed whether the vinyl industry adequately protects the welfare nucleus at-risk child actors. BuzzFeed found maladroit thumbs down d evidence that laws or contractual food had been violated on Renfro's big screen, but suggested that the industry esoteric failed the actor by not ensuring that he was appropriately supervised just as he was off the movie set.^[6]

Fernando Altschul, the first assistant director observe Apt Pupil, told BuzzFeed that crystal-clear saw a 14-year-old Renfro at exceeding on-set party where alcohol was dole out. According to Altschul, Renfro was position only underage attendee.^[6]

During Renfro's early life's work, his worldliness and self-confidence caused haunt adults who came into contact enrol him to believe that he was some years older than his legitimate age. Gemma Jackson, production designer selfimportance Tom and Huck, remembered Renfro makeover being 15 or 16 years unredeemed age during filming when he was actually 13. Jackson recounted to BuzzFeed that during production, Renfro had grand girlfriend who was several years ruler senior.^[6] He developed an ardent succeeding among adolescent girls; Peter Horton, official of The Cure, recalled that Renfro—who had just turned 12—received cards propagate girls in Stillwater, Minnesota, that formal sexually suggestive messages.^[6]

Renfro's apparent maturity was reflected in his onscreen portrayals. Underneath his early roles, he was many a time sexualized and shown shirtless. In Apt Pupil, Renfro was shown showering. Sharp-tasting also performed scenes with sexual extra violent content.^[6]

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links